Northern Palawan's Spanish fort town — Apulit Island's overwater bungalows, Flower Island, and limestone lagoons
Taytay (pronounced tie-TIE) was the first Spanish colonial capital of Palawan, predating Puerto Princesa, and its 17th-century Sta. Isabel Fort still stands on a promontory above the town's harbour — one of the best-preserved Spanish forts in the Philippine provinces. The surrounding bay is dotted with limestone karst islands identical in character to El Nido (60km south) but receiving a fraction of the visitors. Apulit Island, accessible by resort bangka, holds an intimate overwater bungalow resort built partly on stilts above a shallow bay. Flower Island Resort nearby is among the most roma…
Taytay ('bridge' in Cuyonon) was the capital of Palawan from 1622 — when the Spanish built the Fuerza de Santa Isabel to defend the island from Moro raiders — until Puerto Princesa superseded it in the late 19th century. The fort was attacked repeatedly by Sulu Sultanate forces throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and was partly rebuilt each time; the current ruin shows at least three distinct construction phases. Taytay's Chinese-Filipino mestizo merchant community, established in the 19th century, built the stone church and town hall that still anchor the plaza. The Cuyonon people of Cuyo…